Dear Karen, thanks for your suggestion that the rhythmically challenged Gospel singer I work with "listen to some Cleo Laine, for both stylistic and vocal concepts" (in your words) It's funny that you mention that name because I hadn't heard of Cleo Laine myself until a month or so ago when I saw her on TV as a Torch Singer in a 90's production of Bernstein's "On the town" with von Stade, Ramey, Hampson and others. As soon as she appeared on stage, the audience went wild and it was clear that this woman was A STAR! I was a little disappointed with her singing though: too many effects for my taste, not enough "ligne de chant" (could this be the famous vowel line?), and many notes that were clearly off-key (and not blue notes). I would have preferred somebody like the late Phyllis Hyman for that torch singer part, but well. I forgot about that Laine woman until two weeks ago when I saw her on television again, but this time everything was different: Here we were, back in the Seventies, and there was a young Cleo Laine starring in everybody's all-time favourite program "The Muppet Show", of all things. Then I understood why the crowd had gone wild. You might object that it's relatively easy to shine when your rival is Miss Piggy, but that woman could really sing a song! She reminded me of a meatier version of Roberta Flack or Dusty Springfield. I'll definitely try to get some recordings of that period. However, I don't know whether I would like to hear this kind of jazzy singing in a Gospel song. Personally, I'd prefer a more joyful, juicier sound. Perhaps it just boils down to a matter of taste, but singers with a jazzy singing style often sound lost and a bit skinny (does anybody understand me?) to me when interpreting Gospel, whereas many Gospel singers with their heavier voices don't seem to pull off jazz too well. Of course, there are about a zillion exceptions to the theory I just invented (The acappella group Take 6 and Aretha Franklin immediately spring to my mind) and I'm afraid I'm creating a new monster thread where Martha Mödl will be compared to Mahalia Jackson, Al Jarreau to Alfredo Kraus, and Billie Holiday to Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (think of other nightmare combinations, imagine them together in concert and there you have Pavarotti and Friends...) Come to think of it, perhaps Cleo Laine is not such a bad idea after all. A little sophistication never did harm to anybody... Good night from Paris, Europe Jan (who is trying to sound 40 years older in order to be a plausible Simone in Gianni Schicchi)
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